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CHAPTER TEN. narrative
july 1, 2022: iowa city, iowa
"What are you doing?" Kate asks, sitting at the table in the corner of my kitchen. It's about 9:30 at night and we've been with each other since two. We haven't hung out much since agreeing to become friends again, but mostly because she's busy or I'm busy and our schedules don't line up.
I look at her, "Making ramen," I tell her, popping the bowl in the microwave and setting the timer for three minutes. Kate just nods, "I lived off of this stuff Freshman year," I add, making her laugh a little bit.
Florence flew to Sacramento for a couple days to be with Keegan which means I have the apartment to myself which is nice. I believe that if the two of us are going to get back to where we used to be Kate and I have to do this on our own.
"Me too, which wasn't in my meal plan, but I really didn't care," Kate says as I stand at the counter. Her smile is infectious, warming my cheeks just a bit when I am looking at her. I have missed hanging out with her. It takes me back to our times when we were younger where we would practically live at each other's houses for days on end without even contacting our parents to let them know we were okay during the time.
"You excited for this season?" I ask softly.
She shrugs, "Yeah, the team is gonna do good this year. Nervous about traveling and stuff, though," She says and I nod. I totally understand the dreading the travel aspect of your job. Whenever I have shows I get anxiety having to leave and be away from home.
The microwave beeps and I open it up, grabbing the bowl with a towel, so I don't burn my hand. I put in the seasoning packet, stirring it as I walk over to the table, sitting across from Kate. I look up, seeing her eyes already on me, and we both look away quickly, smiles on our faces.
"So," Kate drags out a little, "What's your dating life been like?" she asks and the question catches me a little off guard.
I smirk at her, "Why?" I ask, eating a little bit of the ramen I made.
Kate shrugs, "We just never used to talk about partners when we were younger," she says with a smile, "Now, spill on your dating life."
With a sigh, I bring one of my legs to my chest, "Junior year I got a boyfriend. I was a lesbian in denial and wanted to fit in. He was fine, nothing too great about him. I got broken up with and then had no friends senior year," I say. Kate's face sort of drops a little, but I don't pay it too much mind.
"I met a girl when senior year ended and we dated for a little bit. She wasn't too interested in just me. She liked the money my family made and she never went to a single show I played," I explained. My history on dating definitely hasn't been the best, but I guess I was sort of to blame for that.
I look at Kate, she's staring at me as she waits for me to continue if i need too, "The last person I dated was in the middle of sophomore year of college. She cheated on me with a guy and then tried to convince me that whatever she did with him didn't count," I say, letting out a soft laugh, but it doesn't reach Kate.
"Shit, Reya, I'm so sorry. How did you get through that?" Kate asks. I hadn't heard anyone say Reya in years. Kate was the only person to ever call me that and to say I missed it would be a huge understatement.
I press my lips together, shrugging my shoulders, "I had my family, Florence, Leah, and Keegs. They helped me through it. It was just mentally taxing, but I knew it would be okay because I had them. Flo and Keegs became like a second set of parents to me and let me tag along with them whenever they would go places so I wouldn't feel left out."
My dating life is definitely not something I openly talk about. I prefer to keep it quiet, just because I also don't like talking about it. Not to mention, I don't like the way people look at me when I say that I've been cheated on.
I shake my head with a smile, "I'm fine, though. What about you? What is Kate Martin's dating life like?" I ask her, changing the subject.
She lets out a soft laugh, "I had a girlfriend last year, but we broke up. She's the only person I've been with."
I nod, "Was she good to you?"
"Yeah, we just had some differences that we weren't able to work out," Kate explains.
"I'm sorry, I really am. It sucks when relationships don't work out," I say with a small smile.
Kate nods, "It does, but it's only for the better."
The two of us fall silent for a moment and Kate scans the house, eyes landing on framed picture of Florence and I and some of Keegan and Florence on the walls. "Is it weird living with a couple?" Kate asks, pointing at all the signs that Keegan lives here with Florence and I. I shake my head with a smile on my face.
"Not at all, they make me feel like their kid. When we are in between these walls, Florence and I are married and Keegan is just there," I say, laughing and the smile returns to Kate's lips.
We ask each other a few more questions, seeing if our favorite colors have changed (they haven't), asking what the others family members are up too. She asks about my music and I ask about her basketball seasons, before just getting to random, stupid questions.
"Worst thing you've done at a party?" Kate asks. I press my lips together, thinking it over. I don't go to too many parties. The ones I've gone to are the ones that Florence and Keegan invited me to with the mens team around.
"Okay, I don't even know if it was bad, because he definitely deserved it," I start with and Kate leans forward, interested in what I'm about to say, "I slapped a guy on the basketball team sophomore year because he wouldn't stop flirting and then he got a little too handsy with me, so I slapped him and yelled at him."
Kate's eyes widen, her mouth dropping open, "Who was it?"
"Connor McCaffery," I say, squeezing my eyes shut. He's practically campus royalty. His dad coaches the men's basketball team. Him and I don't get along. Everytime I see him, I want to kill him.
Kate leans over and hits my knee, "You're the girl who slapped Connor?" she asks, obviously having heard about it and I nod, "He came into practice the next day talking about how he was rejected at a party and that he got slapped."
I let a laugh escape my lips, "I'm guessing he called me a bitch too," I ask and she nods. He did at the party after I slapped him, so I could only assume that's how he referred to me.
"We all wanted to meet the girl who did it and say thank you. He needed to be slapped way before that," Kate says.
I shrug my shoulders, "Well, he was on the cusp of walking all over me and I try not to let people do that anymore," I tell her and the smile on her face just grows.
"Changing the subject, I have a question," I say, wondering if I should ask it. I'm playing a festival at the end of the month, still getting things worked out, but Keegan, Florence, and Leah are all going. I'm allowed to have another person too.
Kate looks at me, nodding her head for me to go on, "Okay, so, I'm playing this festival in Chicago at the end of the month, and uh, I was wondering if you wanted to come."
"You're gonna let me come see you play live?" she asks.
I shake my head as I get up to throw the ramen bowl from earlier away, "Revoking your invite," I tell her.
Kate leaps out of her seat and wraps her arms around my shoulders, holding me in place from behind, "I would love to come to the festival, Reya."
I smile as her arms fall from around me, "You wanna watch a movie?" I ask and she nods. We haven't even been paying attention to the time, but I don't really care. This is the best night I've had in a long time.
authors note godddd them>>>> also freya hates c*nn*rs fucking guts and i love it
